Life of Pi - Yann Martel

?What a downright weird story.? (The Life of Pi, page 53, hardback edition.) There must be very few potential readers of this op who do not know already about The Life of Pi. One of the most popularly received Booker Prize winners in recent years, lauded and applauded by all and sundry, seemingly, and still putting huge piles of pennies in the hands of Canongate, its publishers, to this day, it is everywhere one looks to buy books. With this comes the common knowledge that it features an Indian lad in a lifeboat, sailing the Pacific, sharing his space with a very odd assortment of animals. That?s certainly intriguing enough to grab the attention, but ...  Read the complete review

***Introduction* If there's one thing that retains an enduring popularity it's an allegory. There have been many stories over the years that have called on the notion of a fable to weave a way into a reader's heart and "Life of Pi" is a book that belongs in this very genre. I guess I was drawn to the story by the careful positioning of the aforementioned in the prizewinners section in Tesco. Blinded by the acclaim of being the winner of the Man Booker prize, I made the potentially naïve assumption that "Life of Pi" would be good. ***The Author*** Yann Martel is a new author to me. Born in Spain and now living in Montreal, Martel ...  Read the complete review

I recently wrote a review of a film that really moved me. I believe I started it by explaining that, every now and then, along comes a film that really makes you stop and think. Well, on a recommendation by my wife, I have just finished reading 'Life of Pi' by Yann Martel. I can now honestly say that, every now and then, along comes a book that really makes you stop and think! The book was the winner of the Man Booker Prize in 2002, but I have never really been one for reading books just because they have won an award. As with most things, I believe that literature is down to personal taste as much as anything else. Yes, it needs a captivating writing style ...  Read the complete review

Writing about religion can be a tricky business. If you're too strongly anti, you're pretty much guaranteed to upset an awful lot of people (although it never did Phillip Pullman any harm). Go too far the other way, and it can all seem a bit dogmatic, alienating a large proportion of your potential readership. However, strike the right balance, and you could just end up with a story that challenges and provokes its readers as much as it entertains them - and this is what Yann Martel has achieved with Life of Pi. Of course, this isn't necessarily a religious story at all; the subject is approached within the narrative, but if you choose not to find such ...  Read the complete review

The Life of Pi is one of those books which it's very difficult to write a review on, for all sorts of reasons. Say too little about the plot and it sounds dull; say too much, and it all sounds a little stupid and unlikely. There are certain words that sum it up in easy sound bites: "whimsical", "charming" and "quirky" are just three, but these adjectives only make sense once you've read the book. Indeed, had someone said them to me before I read it, that may have put me off it. The Life of Pi tells the story of Piscene Patel, an Indian boy whose family (and their zoo) makes a journey from India to Canada to start a new life. On ...  Read the complete review